Reciprocating hoe type manure conveyer



April 13, 1954 v, MlLLER 2,675,121

RECIPROCATING HOE TYPE MANURE CONVEYER Filed May 14, 1951 3 Sheets-Shaet1 Velma L. M/7/er IN VEN TOR.

April 13, 1954 v. L. MILLER 2,675,121

RECIPROCATING HOE TYPE MANURE CONVEYER Filed May 14, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet2 V e/ma L. Miller INVENTOR.

BY Q

Patented Apr. 13, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RECIPROCATING HOETYPE MANURE CONVEYER My invention relates to improvements inreciprocating hoe type conveyors for evacuating manure from the manuregutters of cow barns and the like.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a simply constructed,hoe type conveyor for cleaning out such manure gutters and which isadapted to be slidably fitted in the gutter for efficient operationwithout requiring alteration in the gutter, or additional structuretherein for slidably guiding the conveyor, and which is constructed andarranged for installation in the gutter by merely disposing the sametherein, and requires no fastening means.

Another object is to provide a conveyor of the type and for the purposeabove set forth equipped with an automatically controlled hydraulicpressure drive of simple, inexpensive construction which is easy toinstall.

Other and subordinate objects, within the purview of my invention,together with the precise nature of my improvements will be readilyunderstood when the succeeding description and claims are read withreference to the drawings accompanying and forming part of thisspecification.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view partly in plan and partly in horizontalsection illustrating my invention, in the preferred embodiment thereof;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary View in longitudinal vertical section taken onthe line 2--2 of Figure 1 and drawn to a larger scale, the hoe unitbeing shown retracted;

Figure 3 is a similar view illustrating the hoe unit advanced;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in transverse section taken on the line44 of Figure 1 and drawn to a larger scale;

Figure 5 is a view in transverse section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure3 and drawn to a larger scale;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view in vertical lon gitudinal section takenon the line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure "I is a view in perspective illustrating the fastening means forthe sections of the side bars of the hoe unit;

Figure 8 is a schematic view illustrating the power drive for the hoeunit;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary view partly in plan and partly in horizontalsection of a modified embodiment of my invention;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary view in longitudinal vertical section takenon the line I 0-40 of Figure 9 and illustrating how one of the series ofhoe 5 Claims. (Cl. 198-224) 2 blades propels the manure into thedisposal gutter; and

Figure 11 is a similar view illustrating how the other series of hoeblades propels the manure into the disposal gutter.

Referring by numerals to the embodiments of the invention illustrated inthe drawings, and first to the preferred embodiment illustrated inFigures 1 to 3, the numeral l designates a cow barn, shown fragmentarilyas sufficient for the present purposes, 2 the floor of the barn, 3 theusual manure gutter in the floor 2 in the rear of the cow stalls 4 andhaving a flat bottom 5 and perpendicular sides 6, and I one side of thebarn I.

The conveyor of my invention, in the preferred embodiment, comprises anelongated hoe unit i0 adapted to be reciprocated endwise in the gutter 3for advance and retraction and which is sufficiently longer than thegutter 3 to extend at a front end ll thereof, when retracted, out of anopen end l2 of the gutter 3 at the side 1 of the barn I.

The hoe unit l0 comprises a pair of opposite, laterally spaced, metalside bars 13 of the same width as the depth of the gutter 3 andpreferably hollow with inner sides converging downwardly, relatively,for a purpose presently seen. The side bars [3 are spaced apart, bymeans presently described, to slidably engage flatly the sides 6 of thegutter 3 with the bottom longitudinal edges of said bars sliding on thebottom 5 of said gutter. Preferably, the side bars [3 are formed insections I5 connected together by means of an end tongue IE on eachsection fitting in the end of an adjoining section and fastened thereinby a cross bolt I1.

Rock shafts [8 with reduced ends I?! journaled in upper edge bosses 20on the side bars l9 space said side bars l3 apart. Hoe blades 2| dependfrom the rock shafts l8 transversely of the gutter 3 and are fixed tosaid rock shafts for swinging longitudinally of the gutter 3. Each hoeblade 2| is formed with a longitudinal upperedge sleeve 22fitted on therock shaft l8 and a set bolt 23 in the sleeve 22 engages the rock shaftis and provides for adiustably connecting the hoe blade 2| to its rockshaft I8. As best seen in Figure 1 the rock shafts [8 space the hoeblades 2| apart longitudinally of the gutter 3 the same distance as thewidth of the stalls 4, for a purpose presently seen. As best shown inFigures 2, 3 and 5, the hoe blades fit with a working clearance betweenthe side bars [3 and incline downwardly from the rock shafts l8 into thegutter 3 forwardly of the unit II], that is in the direction of advancemovement of said unit. The lower edges of said blades 2| slidablyengaging the bottom 5 of the gutter 3. Stop lugs on the side bars l3 inthe rear of the hoe blades 2! prevent rearward swinging of said bladesout of the described inclined position. Preferably, the hoe blades 2|are inclined from the vertical approximately 10.

A power drive for reciprocating the hoe unit H3 is provided whichpreferably comprises the following. An electric motor 28, adapted to beconnected to any suitable source of power, not shown, is fixed on ashelf 29 on the side i of the barn I outside said barn. The armatureshaft 30 of the motor 2% is operatively connected at one end to asuitable pump ti on said shelf 29. A fluid supply tank 32 supported onthe side i of the barn l by a bracket 33 is connected to the suctionside of the pump Si by a pipe line 3 3. A pitman 35 including a disk 36fastened on the other side of the armature shaft is and enclosed in ahousing 3%! operatively connects said shaft to oscillating core it of avalve 3'i'for controlling a fluid pressure circuit presently described.The valve controls, in a manner presently described, admission anddischarge of fluid pressure to opposite'ends of a fluid pressurecylinder to extending longitudinally above the extending end ii of thehoeunit it with one end pivoted, as at ii, between bearing brackets 42on the side l of the barn 5 outside said barn, and so that said cylinderis vertically swingable for convenience in installing the same. A piston"e3 extending out of the other end of said cylinder is is operativelyconnected to the front end it of the hoe unit it! by a cross rod is onsaid piston rod pivoted in a pair of bearing ears 45 upstanding from theside bars 53.

Describing new the details of the fluid pressure circuit and the meanswhereby the valve 3? controls the same, a fluid pressure and return line46 extends from one end of the cylinder at to one side of the valve 3i,and a return line M from said side of the valve to the supply tank 32. Afluid pressure and return line 33 extends from the other end of saidcylinder iii to the other side of the valve 3'5 and a fluid pressureline 49 from the pressure side of the pump to said other side of saidvalve The valve core 36 is provlded with a pair of opposite, arcuateports 5i], 5i

full and dotted lines in Figure 8, and whereby,

as will be seen, the piston 43 is reciprocated to advance and retractthe hoe unit it.

A pair of horizontal channel iron guides 54 support the bottom edges ofthe side bars 13, outside the side i of the barn i with inner endsbolted, as at 55, to said side ll. Diagonal brace rods 56 extend fromthe guides 54 to said side 1 of the barn to prevent said guides 5 fromsagging.

Referring now to the operation of the preferred embodiment of myinvention, in the fully retracted position of the hoe unit it, as shownin Figure l, the hoe blades ii are disposed at opposite sides of thestalls i with said blades swung downwardly, under the influence ofgravity, into propelling position in which the sameengage the bottom 5of the gutter 3. Upon reciprocation of the hoe unit I0, by the describeddrive, the hoe blades 2!, upon advance of said unit iii, scrape andpropel manure 51, by stages, forwardly in the gutter 3 into piles,whereas, upon retraction of said unit iii, the hoe blades 2i swingupwardly, forwardly, and wipe rearwardly over the piles to swingdownwardly behind the same for repeat operation to scrape and propelforwardly. As will be seen, the stroke of the hoe unit it is greaterthan the distance between hoe blades 2! so that each blade 2! willpropel a pile of manure forwardly during the forward stroke of the unitiii for a preceding blade 2! to pick the pile up during the next forwardstroke of said unit. the manure will be propelled by stages out of theopen end i2 of the gutter 3, outside the barn I, to be disposed of, asdesired, for instance by a conveyor, not shown.

In the modified embodiment illustrated in Figures 9 to 11, a hoe unit68, like the unit 50, with exceptions presently noted, is provided toreciprocate in a manure gutter 8| extending behind two aligned rows 62?,E3 of stalls, said unit i0 extending across a, disposal gutter 54between the rows 62, E3 of stalls and below the level of the gutter tifor receiving the manure from the gutter ill to be removed from thedisposal gutter in any desired manner. The drive for reciprocating thehoe unit iii), and designated as a unit by the numeral its, is the sameas that previously described with the exception that said drive 456 islocated inside the barn 61, the cylinder 58 thereof extending outwardlyof one end of the hoe unit 58 and the channel iron guides 54 of thepreferred embodiment, together with i l2 and propel the piles into thedisposal gutter 65 by stages. For this purpose, the series to, H of hoeblades inclined downwardly into the gutter 5i oppositely in each serieswith respect to the other series, the series it inclining downwardly inthe direction of retracting movement of the hoe unit till, and theseries 7i inclining downwardly in the direction of advancing movement ofsaid unit.

The foregoing will, it is believed, suffice, to

impart a clear understanding of my invention without furtherexplanation.

Manifestly, the invention, as described, is susceptible of modification,without departing from the inventive concept, and right is hereinreserved to such modifications as fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new is:

l. A hoe unit for propelling manure along the brace rods 56, beingeliminated. Also, in

gagement with the bottom of the gutter to maintain the same downwardlyinclined for propelling the manure along the gutter to said openingduring advance of said bars, one of said blades closing said openingwhere said bars are retracted, means pivotally connecting said blades tosaid bars to swing upwardly over the manure by wiping engagementtherewith during retraction of said bars, a power drive forreciprocating said bars to move said one and the succeeding hoe bladeoutwardly of said opening, and means disposed outwardly of said openingand maintaining said one and succeeding hoe blades in said downwardlyinclined position when the same are moved outwardly of said opening.

2. A hoe unit according to claim 1, said last named means comprising apair of tracks outside said barn at the level of the bottom of thegutter and along which said one and succeeding hoe blades slide.

3. A hoe unit according to claim 1 wherein stops are provided on saidbars for establishing the downwardly inclined position of said hoeblades.

4. A hoe unit according to claim 1 wherein said last named meanssupports said corresponding ends of said bars outside the barn duringreciprocation of said bars.

5. A hoe unit according to claim 1 wherein said power drive includes apiston connected to both of said corresponding ends of said bars.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 556,637 Monroe Mar. 17, 1896 756,225 Fiddes Apr. 5, 19041,323,954 Bobsein Dec. 2, 1919 1,712,651 Colbiornsen May 14, 19292,522,888 Nickerson Sept. 19, 1950 2,573,669 Macbeth Oct. 30, 19512,593,340 Petraske Apr. 15, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date967,282 France Mar. 22, 1950

